Catheters are routinely introduced into blood and other vessels of a subject during numerous medical procedures. In some procedures, accurate placement within vessels is important and desirable. Generally, guidewires are first inserted into the vessel so that an end is at the position to be treated. Catheters are provided with a suitable lumen into which the other guidewire end is inserted and the catheter is slid over the guidewire to the position.
In some circumstances, it may desirable to insert a first catheter to a location, perform a procedure, withdraw the first catheter and exchange it with a second catheter to be placed at the same location. An example of such a circumstance is a procedure to open a stenosis by utilizing a series of balloon dilatation catheters which have different sized balloons.
In addition to difficulties associated with accurate, reproducable catheter placement, handling and manipulation of the catheters in an operating room environment can become unwieldy. Some methodologies require more than one person to successfully perform. The need for maintaining sterility, particularly during the exchange of catheters, is of concern.